He blamed military intelligence for hampering efforts to tackle Pakistan-based terror groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-i-Mohmmad, who have masterminded recent terror attacks in India, and the Haqqani network, which operates in Afghanistan.

All three are proscribed as terrorist organisations by Britain and the US. Nawaz Sharif also indicated he may reopen a long-stalled investigation into the Mumbai 2008 terror attack, which was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Pakistan’s army has governed the country on three occasions, for a total of more than three decades, since independence in 1947, and still enjoys considerable popular support.

Watch | Video footage shows aftermath of Pakistan university attack

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But its perceived failure to tackle these groups has soured relations with Western allies in recent years. Inaction on cross-border terror also led to an embarrassing India-led boycott of the SAARC regional summit, due to be held in the Pakistan capital Islamabad, which was postponed last week after nearly every country pulled out.

Analysts said the stance taken by Nawaz Sharif’s civilian government represented the latest effort to wrest back influence from Pakistan’s military.

“This row hasn’t been leaked by the military,” said Khurshid Kasuri, the former Pakistan foreign minister. “The prime minister may have wished to leak this out for political gain. It helps him look more reasonable to the international community.”

Cross-border shooting is now a daily occurrence, and Indian forces have ramped up fortifications for fear of a Pakistani reaction to last week’s “surgical strikes”.

On Thursday, Pakistani authorities publicly sought to show a united from against India.

Civilian authorities pledged to crack down on Indian television shows being aired illegally in the country.

Meanwhile Raheel Sharif, the powerful and respected army chief, lashed out at Indian “aggression”, promising to meet it with a “befitting response”.

Watch | India on attacks in Pakistan controlled Kashmir

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But it is an unusually precarious time for Raheel Sharif, who is due to stand down next month at the end of his mandated three-year term.

Although he has publicly insisted he will not seek an extension, speculation persists that he is manoeuvring to stay on.

However, he needs the prime minister’s approval to continue. C Raja Mohan, a South Asia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the combination of international pressure and Raheel’s term limit had temporarily strengthened the civilian government’s hand.

“A year ago, Raheel would have beaten on Nawaz and said ‘I’ll show you how to treat India’,” said Mr Mohan. “This time Raheel needs Nawaz to give him an extension.”

“Nawaz is trying to play a game. He has a weak and limited hand, but the world is helping him.”